Formal and Informal Assessment of Student Learning
Name: Carrie Boisclair
I. Assignment Description/Requirements
The unit plan that I implemented while at Deering Middle School consisted of cellular science as well as the basis for genetics. The assignment that I have chosen to showcase in a formal and informal way is titled: Spongebob Genetics. Through this assignment students were able to practice all of the basic aspects of learning Mendelian genetics. Also, through using "small-scale" ratios and fractions I was able to incorporate mathematics into the lesson. The assignment was distributed in worksheet form and students were able to complete it in class. It was to be done independently for the first half of the alloted time, after, students were allowed to check their work with a fellow peer. If they were unable to finish they were asked to finish the worksheet for homework. The beginning of the next class was committed to going over the entire worksheet as a class. (I copied the worksheet onto a transparency) It was the job of the students to "fill-in" the transparency as it was being used to informally assess the students' knowledge of the new subject.
II. Description of Learning Goals
A. Informal Assessment
The learning goals for the Spongebob Genetics worksheet are as follows:
Identify homozygous vs. heterozygous alleles. (low level)
Distinguish whether an organism exhibits dominant traits or recessive traits. (medium level)
List the differences between phenotypes and genotypes. (medium level)
Classify allelic combinations as purebred or hybrid. (low level)
Cross two parents based on their allelic combinations and complete a punnett square. (high level)
Reflect on their punnett squares in mathematical terms. (medium level)
Solve questions based on the outcome of their punnett squares. (high level)
B. Formal Assessment
Learning goals to be met during formal assessment.
Students can identify homozygous and heterozygous alleles. (low level)
Students can classify alleles as purebred or hybrid and apply this information to different sets of combinations. (low level)
Students can cross two parents based on the information given. (ex. whether they are heterozygous dominant or homozygous dominant, etc.) (high level)
Students can complete a punnett square based on the parental cross. (low level)
Students can identify the ratio/fraction number of offspring that will be of certain genotypes and phenotypes. (medium level)
Students can identify dominance vs. recessiveness in the offspring and the parents. (medium level)
Students can solve questions based on the allelic combinations of the parents and the outcome of the constructed punnett squares. (high level)
Based on the different levels for both informal and formal assessment I was able to determine at which level each student had an understanding of.
III. Assessments
A. Description of Informal Assessment
The informal assessment that I have organized consisted of many sections. The first section gives a list of allelic combinations. (ex. Aa, BB, Bb, CC, cc, etc.) Students had to identify whether they were homozygous or heterozygous. The next section was used to classify the same alleles as purebred or hybrid. The next larger section consisted of "word problems" that gave information such as dominance/recessiveness, heterozygous/homozygous and phenotypes. (ex. Spongebob is homozygous dominant for his Yellow Square body and his wife, Susie is Heterozygous for her green round body.) Next, students were to take the information given and cross the parents given in the word problem in the form of a punnett square. Once this was completed students were asked to identify and list the ratios of progeny that were of certain phenotypes and genotypes. Also, the students were asked to answer questions such as: "Did the hospital make a mistake when they handed Spongebob and Susie a round yellow baby?" They would be able to answer these questions based on their punnett square findings.
The formal assessment was administered as a 10 point quiz. Students with IEPs were given this particular quiz in a modified form, per their Special Educator. The quiz information was taken from the informal assignment, however, with differing questions and answers. Students were asked to identify homozygous/heterozygous, purebred/hybrid, phenotypes, genotypes, construct a punnet square, and answer questions based on their punnett square outcomes in qualitative and quantitative form. There were many questions that consisted of several "parts", and therefore I was able to give students partial credit for almost all questions.
The class that I've chosen to showcase assessment data comes from my period 6 'collaborative' class. Of the 22 students, 12 were female, 10 were male. This particular class is considered collaborative because it is one that is co-taught by the Special Education teacher. Out of the 22 students, 8 needed IEPs, with 4 being behavioral disabled. All students that held IEPs were allowed extra time to complete assignments and finish quizzes, tests, and projects. Some students needed extra positive reinforcement while some needed concise, written directions due to being learning disabled as well as an ESL student. In sum, the class was extremely diverse, heterogeneous, and consisted of many students academically placing at different levels.
B. Analysis of Informal Assessment
I was very excited about this particular informal assignment because it followed a day of watching an introductory movie about genetics and practicing as a class the basics through note-taking and class-wide discussion. I allowed the students in-class time to finish and I was able to do several 'walk-thrus' to help in any way needed. I was very satisfied with how well they were grasping the concept. Also, I feel that because it was made in a fun way that incorporated a TV show they still may be watching on a daily basis this helped to gain interest in the topic. Before the bell ran I collected the worksheets so that I could "grade" what they had completed. I used a check system for this: a check plus plus would be a 100% for effort, check plus a 90%, check an 80%, check minus a 70%, and a minus for 0% effort. I used this system so that students would be motivated to work hard to earn some extra points toward their "in-class" assignments/activities grade. After averaging the "grades" I was extremely pleased as the average was around a 93. As far as effort, it seemed that most students really tried at answering every question and completed all punnett squares. Most students had points taken off because they forgot to answer a couple of questions that they may have missed from trying to finish the work quickly. I'm assuming this is the case because the questions that most students missed was very simple compared to the complex word problems they completed that they were being asked to solve. While awarding the students their "checks" I made it a point to go through each paper and make comments on what they were doing wrong and fixed most of their wrong answers. The next day I handed the worksheet back to the students and went over all answers as a class.
To analyze further, I've separated this information into different "grades" for female vs. males students.
Female average on informal assignment: 93
Male average on informal assignment: 96
Also, after taking a look into the 'completion' grades for students with IEPs and those considered 'regular ed' I found that those with IEPs were more prone to complete their informal assignments than the other students. This could have been due to the fact that they were allowed more time to complete their work. However, with their disabilities they all justifiably needed it.
C. Analysis of Formal Assessment
Just as I had hoped the class average was fairly high for this formal assessment based on introductory Mendelian genetics. The class average for this 10 point quiz was an 80, including the modified quizzes. This average includes grades ranging from 0-100. The '0' was given to a student per the Special Educator because they refused to try the quiz. To put the average into a different perspective I've separated female and male scores; female's averaged an 82 while males averaged an 85. The quiz consisted of 5 problems at 2 points each. However, some questions had extra "parts" compared to others and was mathematically broken down. For example, number 4 of the quiz has parts A-E. I chose to divide 2 by 5, giving each part an equal score of 0.40. I made the quiz based off the informal assessment's template and was aware that the quiz would be broken into fractions. I feel this did not affect the overall scores for students. For the unmodified version of the quiz students were asked to answer in various forms: short answer, short essay, and mathematically (ratios, fractions and percentages). Modified versions of the quiz consisted of short answer questions only. The informal assessment related to the formal assessment in the way that the questions were asked in the exact same way but included different information. It was made so that students would be able to really excel if they paid close attention in class and completed their in-class assignment. It also was constructed so that they did have to think about their answers and needed to understand the concepts in order to do well.
During the cycle of informally and formally assessing students I followed the work of three students and analyzed their work. One student does exceptionally well most everyday, One does their work with great effort and maturity, and the other tries to do well but has some problems comprehending new material and spends time in class irresponsibly.
High Level Student: Josiah
Josiah constantly excels at every subject in science as well as his other classes. He is very attentive during discussions and puts 100% of effort into participating. His one downfall is that he knows he does extremely well and tends to flaunt his success. He clearly understood everything about genetics after note-taking, class discussions and the review of the informal assessment. He received a 100 on his quiz and a check plus plus on his informal worksheet. Josiah was very articulate and thorough with each of his answers, listing all possibilities. He used new vocabulary appropriately and went above and beyond in his clear, well structured and complete sentences. I believe that a great way to challenge Josiah would be to let him do some extra work for credit. An example would be to allow Josiah time in class when he finishes his work (which he does rather quickly) to research topics surrounding the current unit being taught. While I was teaching genetics he would have probably been interested in learning about the controversy surrounding stem cell research or genetic manipulations.
Middle Level Student: Adrianna
Adrianna applies herself in science class for the most part. She is one of the "chatty" girls and does need to be reminded to stay on task. However, her work does not suffer incredibly from this action. She takes great notes all the time and is responsible in getting notes if she's been absent. Adrianna was absent the day that we went over the informal worksheet but made it a point to see me on her own time to check the work. She did well on the worksheet and received a check plus. (She would have earned a check plus plus had she been more thorough on her answers.) Adrianna received a 95 on her quiz which was about 10 points higher than her average quiz grades from previous semesters. Adrianna was able to do better on the quiz because she made the time to see me on her own about the answers on her worksheet. There was one question she struggled with on the informal assignment that she did completely correct on the quiz. I later explained to her that she should keep up with her good habits of seeing her teachers about work when she has missed valuable class time. I feel that inviting small competition allowed for excitement and willingness to learn the topic at hand. I hope to continue finding ways to brighten and liven my ways of teaching; it clearly is beneficial to all students.
Lower Level Student: Kathy
Working with Kathy has been slightly frustrating. She has been one of the nicest and sweetest girls to work with but she likes to chat to her partner. (No matter who they are!) She is quiet during instruction, but I sometimes catch her doodling when she is supposed to be taking notes. During the informal assessment I kept an eye on her worksheet to make sure she was understanding; her answers seemed appropriate and correct. I assumed at this point that she was fine and with the up-coming review that she would really get the topic and all would be well. After scanning her worksheet after they were collected I noticed that her answers were very similar to her partners in the numbers that she got correct and incorrect. I couldn't speak to her about cheating because I had allowed students to talk about their answers and help each other out. (Cheating, I have found, is a con to peer editing.) So, I spoke with her before class the next day and she said that she had gotten the information and not to worry. A way in which I could have modified this peer-editing period would have been to have students continue to help fix each other's problems, but then take their own paper home and write a brief reflection about what they had gotten incorrect, why they had and what they had to do to fix the mistakes and learn from them. After the informal assessment was handed in, Kathy ended up with a check plus on her informal assessment (as she made revisions for homework) and a 70 on her quiz. Her biggest problem was with understanding that when constructing punnett squares that the genotype dictation needs to stay constant throughout the problem. For example, for round eyes she would denote 'R' as dominant round eyes, and 's' as recessive round eyes (or square eyes). When in reality she needed to be recording 'R' as dominant round eyes and 'r' as recessive round eyes (or square eyes). Kathy's struggles have been constant through the year and are noted and closely watched as her parents have become involved. She does not yet require services, yet she will start testing soon. I did not have to really change the way in which I prepare because of Kathy's difficulties, I just made it one of my primary duties to positively reinforce her good efforts and behavior.
V. Commentary / Reflection
A. Reflections from Informal Assessment
I believe that the informal assessment that I have chosen was a great way to understand how well students were comprehending the new topic of basic Mendelian genetics. Since they had taken notes and participated in a class-wide discussion the day before I thought it was appropriate to have the students take the time to fill out a worksheet on the principles of the new topic. I gave clear directions about each section before it was passed out and asked that students complete them individually. I also let them know that I would be walking around the classroom to answer any and all questions. With 15 minutes of class I let students "swap" papers and check their work with their peers. For 10 minutes they were able to quietly explain why their group-mate may have gotten a question wrong or asked questions about how to get theirs correct. At closing I explained they could finish their worksheet for homework, and if they had finished they were advised to check their work by the notes taken the day before as it would be helpful in studying for the up-coming quiz. The next day I made a copy of the worksheet and placed it onto a transparency so that I could go over each answer on the overhead as a class. I filled in the answers as students gave them to me. If a student was incorrect I explain that it was a good try, or that they were close and then probed a little further giving hints as to how to come up with the correct answer. By the end of this review/self-editing session students were very happy about their work and the way that the discussion went. Because I asked of them to fill out the sheet it created an appropriate atmosphere of competitiveness. Students were practically jumping out of their seats to reveal their answers. As far as future teachings go, I would continue this form of informal assessment. I felt the way in which students completed the worksheet and participated in class was a huge success. I believe that in giving notes, creating class wide discussions, watching introductory videos and then informally assessing is totally the way to go. Students were able to become fully engaged in the introductory lessons and then allowed to try their hands at the basics.
B. Reflections from Formal Assessment
As far as formal assessment averages go in collaborative inclusion classes I believe that the students did exceptionally well. The quiz was set-up almost identical to their informal worksheet but included all new information and word problems. I believe that this acted as an advantage to those that were in class and paid attention to the review session the next day. I feel that this repetitiveness helped in gaining the concepts and really understanding the concepts of basic genetics. Through review questions were answered pertaining to the short length movie they watched, every answer on the worksheet and about how the quiz was going to be set up. If a student asked a question about the informal worksheet I would coax them into answering their own question and then offered another question to them such as "well if were worded this way....how would you then answer this question?" I really tried to get all students critically thinking about each and every aspect of the new topic. I believe this is what led to class-wide success in grades and comprehension during their formal assessment.
VI. Conclusions
Through analyzing each assessment I was able to see the stronger points of the lesson and the areas that could have been worked on a little longer to gain desired comprehension in students. I believe that the worksheet paired with the review had amazing effects on the formal assessment. However, some questions that students as a whole got incorrect on the quiz showed that I may not have explained it to the best of my ability, or that I assumed they knew what I was talking about. For example, when asking students to list possible genotypes for a dominant trait most would simply write the two upper case letters. (TT, for example) But, I was also looking for the heterozygous genotype for that dominant gene, which in this case would have been written as Tt. This is a huge mistake, and I should have taken the time to go over that specific content in more detail with lots of open ended questions for the students to learn better on their own. I believe that the most important piece of evidence that I learned through student work is that in order for students to succeed in any type of formal assessment they must first receive informal assessment accommodated with helpful feedback on their strengths and weaknesses as individuals.
Citation: The informal assessment used for this assignment was borrowed from Science Spot
Formal and Informal Assessment of Student Learning
Name: Carrie Boisclair
I. Assignment Description/Requirements
The unit plan that I implemented while at Deering Middle School consisted of cellular science as well as the basis for genetics. The assignment that I have chosen to showcase in a formal and informal way is titled: Spongebob Genetics. Through this assignment students were able to practice all of the basic aspects of learning Mendelian genetics. Also, through using "small-scale" ratios and fractions I was able to incorporate mathematics into the lesson. The assignment was distributed in worksheet form and students were able to complete it in class. It was to be done independently for the first half of the alloted time, after, students were allowed to check their work with a fellow peer. If they were unable to finish they were asked to finish the worksheet for homework. The beginning of the next class was committed to going over the entire worksheet as a class. (I copied the worksheet onto a transparency) It was the job of the students to "fill-in" the transparency as it was being used to informally assess the students' knowledge of the new subject.II. Description of Learning Goals
A. Informal Assessment
B. Formal Assessment
III. Assessments
A. Description of Informal Assessment
B. Description of Formal Assessment
>
IV. Analysis
A. Description of Class Context
B. Analysis of Informal Assessment
C. Analysis of Formal Assessment
High Level Student: Josiah
Josiah constantly excels at every subject in science as well as his other classes. He is very attentive during discussions and puts 100% of effort into participating. His one downfall is that he knows he does extremely well and tends to flaunt his success. He clearly understood everything about genetics after note-taking, class discussions and the review of the informal assessment. He received a 100 on his quiz and a check plus plus on his informal worksheet. Josiah was very articulate and thorough with each of his answers, listing all possibilities. He used new vocabulary appropriately and went above and beyond in his clear, well structured and complete sentences. I believe that a great way to challenge Josiah would be to let him do some extra work for credit. An example would be to allow Josiah time in class when he finishes his work (which he does rather quickly) to research topics surrounding the current unit being taught. While I was teaching genetics he would have probably been interested in learning about the controversy surrounding stem cell research or genetic manipulations.
Middle Level Student: Adrianna
Adrianna applies herself in science class for the most part. She is one of the "chatty" girls and does need to be reminded to stay on task. However, her work does not suffer incredibly from this action. She takes great notes all the time and is responsible in getting notes if she's been absent. Adrianna was absent the day that we went over the informal worksheet but made it a point to see me on her own time to check the work. She did well on the worksheet and received a check plus. (She would have earned a check plus plus had she been more thorough on her answers.) Adrianna received a 95 on her quiz which was about 10 points higher than her average quiz grades from previous semesters. Adrianna was able to do better on the quiz because she made the time to see me on her own about the answers on her worksheet. There was one question she struggled with on the informal assignment that she did completely correct on the quiz. I later explained to her that she should keep up with her good habits of seeing her teachers about work when she has missed valuable class time. I feel that inviting small competition allowed for excitement and willingness to learn the topic at hand. I hope to continue finding ways to brighten and liven my ways of teaching; it clearly is beneficial to all students.
Lower Level Student: Kathy
Working with Kathy has been slightly frustrating. She has been one of the nicest and sweetest girls to work with but she likes to chat to her partner. (No matter who they are!) She is quiet during instruction, but I sometimes catch her doodling when she is supposed to be taking notes. During the informal assessment I kept an eye on her worksheet to make sure she was understanding; her answers seemed appropriate and correct. I assumed at this point that she was fine and with the up-coming review that she would really get the topic and all would be well. After scanning her worksheet after they were collected I noticed that her answers were very similar to her partners in the numbers that she got correct and incorrect. I couldn't speak to her about cheating because I had allowed students to talk about their answers and help each other out. (Cheating, I have found, is a con to peer editing.) So, I spoke with her before class the next day and she said that she had gotten the information and not to worry. A way in which I could have modified this peer-editing period would have been to have students continue to help fix each other's problems, but then take their own paper home and write a brief reflection about what they had gotten incorrect, why they had and what they had to do to fix the mistakes and learn from them. After the informal assessment was handed in, Kathy ended up with a check plus on her informal assessment (as she made revisions for homework) and a 70 on her quiz. Her biggest problem was with understanding that when constructing punnett squares that the genotype dictation needs to stay constant throughout the problem. For example, for round eyes she would denote 'R' as dominant round eyes, and 's' as recessive round eyes (or square eyes). When in reality she needed to be recording 'R' as dominant round eyes and 'r' as recessive round eyes (or square eyes). Kathy's struggles have been constant through the year and are noted and closely watched as her parents have become involved. She does not yet require services, yet she will start testing soon. I did not have to really change the way in which I prepare because of Kathy's difficulties, I just made it one of my primary duties to positively reinforce her good efforts and behavior.
V. Commentary / Reflection
A. Reflections from Informal Assessment
B. Reflections from Formal Assessment
VI. Conclusions
Citation: The informal assessment used for this assignment was borrowed from Science Spot